


A New Beginning– A Casino Cup fanfiction

by HeavenSent003



Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Action, And feels, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 09:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23848639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeavenSent003/pseuds/HeavenSent003
Summary: * I would like to dedicate the ORIGINAL story and art to its creator: Brightgoat. You can find them on Tumblr. And you should go check them out because they're FANTASTIC!!! And later on I will post my OC's descriptions in later chapters just to give you guys a visual and understanding of what they are. This AU story of Casino Cups is mine and so are my OCs. DO NOT STEAL MY STORY OR IT'S CONTENTS AND ORIGINAL CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO ME ONLY.About 11 years ago, before the boys went to the Devil's Casino, they met two very special girls. Twin human sisters, while exploring the forest. They looked worse for wear and honestly they looked suspicious. But Cuphead couldn't help but be drawn in by the eldest twin and convinced his brother to help them. Over the year that the girls spent with the boys, they became like family, and to one of them, possibly something more.But one day the girls disappeared and the Cup family mysteriously forgot about them. Eleven years later, a young woman arrived at Inkwell's harbor, along with her friend, to attend a convention of sorts secretly being held somewhere in the city. Little does anybody know that this girl is gonna rock this island to its core along with its residents.
Relationships: Cala Maria/Mugman, Cuphead/original character (s), King Dice (Cuphead)/Original Character(s), The Devil (Cuphead)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. The Arrival of Change

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! This is HeavenSent here!  
> And I'm here to officially start a fic that has an original female character as Cuphead's love interest! At least on AO3. Amazing, right?! You would think of how cute Cuphead is, you would think that they would come up with more of these fics.😓
> 
> I hope you love it, because I put my heart and SOUL into it. (See what I did there?😉😝)
> 
> Anywho~  
> UNTO THE STORY!!!!

As the ship arrived at the shipping dock after it's tirelessly 3 day journey from across the ocean, both the anchor and the land bridge lowered off the ship to let the passengers off. The first person to get off the ship was a tall, young, handsome man with chocolate brown hair and a pale skin complexion. 

He took a moment to breathe in the fresh sea breeze and the fact that he was on solid ground, (sort of). He was so happy to get off that floating stomach torture chamber that they call a ship. With one hand grabbing tightly on a oversized brown bag and the other a roll out suitcase, he started walking down the pier. But suddenly he heard a voice yelling for him. "Adrian! Wait up!!!" It was his childhood friend, Joan. She and him came together on the ship to accomplish a mission. She had long, bright, gold, bleach blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and a pale skin complexion. Soon enough she was able to catch up to him and slap him upside the head for taking off without her. 

Joan and Adrian look like normal humans, but they're anything but that. But in this world, nothing is normal. Like you could be walking down the street and the next thing you know you suddenly see a human sized fox creature standing on two legs wearing a suit waiting for the bus. Then the next thing you know, a pair of twin children with paint brushes for heads run past you chasing after a cat. Or if your unfortunate enough, accidentally come across a gang entirely made of humanoid plant creatures ready to mug you.

But even in this world, there are some things that are even more strange. Two of those examples are walking down the pier as we speak. Joan, though looks human, is anything but that. She is probably the most strangest creature on the planet that God has allowed to live. She is 2/5th's human; 1/5th werhuman (cat); 1/5th (dog-like)Holy Dark Cupid; and Angel hybrid. I will discuss on how she came to be later on in the story. But despite her dark heritage, she's actually on the Heavens High Council. And it is due to her heritage and abundance of power that God sends her on many reconnaissance missions to spy in Hell. She's the only one who can do this without being tainted, so she has her work cut out for her. Adrian, also is no exception on being counted as normal. He is actually a rare hybrid species of human and dragon. He and his family have been the gatekeepers of the "Void" for over centuries. The "Void" is a place where time itself can't reach. It is a place that no matter how much stuff you put in, it will never be full. It's basically a separate dimension out of the multiverse of dimensions and worlds. He is the current gatekeeper, and when someone threatens him or pushes the wrong buttons on him or tries to get into the "Void", he transforms into a menacing brown dragon! He's so scary that not even Grim Matchstick can hold a candle next to him! 

But protection and recon missions aren't what they're here for. They arrived at Inkwell Isle for the High Angel Convention. It was a once in every decade event. It is where Heaven's high angels get together on Earth and cleanse away all the nuisances that are plaguing the land. Like demons and imps. And later, if there were any family of the angels that were alive, then they could spend the rest of their time with them before they have to go back to Heaven. 

They, Joan and Adrian, were given an invitation to come to this event. But unfortunately they arrived on the last day of the event. And the invitation only tells them where it's being held, country wise. But not exactly where it's being held. But even then it's hard to find out where the country is because the directions for the places are in coordinates. Only God and his angels can find the meeting place because of the location powers that He has given them. So Joan and Adrian had this last chance to find the place before another ten years go by again. They received the invitation 6 days late for some weird reason. And she definitely was not missing this event. Not to kick demon butt, but to see and spend time with her mother. 

Her mother is the representative of multiple races. Which also includes the angels of Heaven and the Holy Trinity. She's always constantly busy with work that she hardly has time with Joan or the rest of the family. And she, Joan, knew she was going to be there. So she intends to surprise her Mom by arriving at the convention to spend the rest of the time she has left on Earth with her.

As she and Adrian were walking down the pier and had reached the border between the pier and the solid ground, she suddenly stopped. She wondered why God chose to have the convention HERE of all places. She heard about the rumors about how the Devil himself is located somewhere on this Isle and how he lives in and runs a casino that, if you're not careful enough, will rob you of your money, precious possessions, and soul. She also heard that a while back, a pair of young heroes defeated him and saved many soul contracts. But then several years later, they decided to work for the Devil in his casino as waiters. "Just when I thought that this place had changed for the better. Guess not." Then as she took a step forward, she suddenly remembered an old memory of when she was young, and when she was living on Inkwell, and holding hands with the boy she ever loved. Singing to their favorite song as they skipped down the dirt road to his house. The next thing she knew was that they were at a small cottage in the woods. It was the boy's house! But how did she get here? She didn't remember a single thing that happened. "How did we get here Adrian?" He said that once they stepped onto the ground, she suddenly dozed off and had a strange blank stare and were walking in the wrong direction. He also said that he tried to snap her out of it, but she was persistent on coming here. "I know that you used to live on Inkwell Isle for a while. Anybody you know live here?" 

She peered into the cottage window to see if anyone was there. But the lights were off, and not a single soul could be seen. She suddenly moved away from the window, and started to head down the road. Until they eventually ended up in a almost empty plot of field. The only thing that was there was a gravestone with some flowers in front of it. On the stone, it said, "Here lies Elder Kettle. A loving, caring, and protective person and father figure." She instantly remembered him! She remembered that she met him while visiting the boy, that she liked, at his house. Elder Kettle treated her like she was his own daughter. She never felt so welcomed by someone other than her own family, friends, and family's friends. Even though he was a total stranger who knew nothing about her, he still welcomed her with open arms. But she also remembered that the last time she saw him alive, was the time that she had to leave. But before she did, he made her promise something. He asked, "Please, if something happens to me before my boys grow up. Take care of them and protect them. Please?" She felt so moved and confused. Did he know what exactly she was and how powerful she was? Is that why he asked her to protect them? But she promised him either way that she would.

But in the end, she was never able to fulfill her promise. She bent her head down and put her right hand on top of the gravestone. She began to weep profusely and kept saying, "I'm so sorry! I failed you! Please forgive me!" Adrian didn't exactly know what was going on, but he understood in a way. And he knew that all he could do was to just support and comfort her as best as he could. An hour went by and they somehow made it to the city. Adrian called a cab, while Joan put a pair of thick reader's glasses on and arranged her hair in a way that people wouldn't see her red eyes that were tired from crying. They got in the cab and drove away. She thought to herself that as long as she didn't go anywhere near THAT casino, everything would be fine. But no more than a few minutes went by that Adrian yelled to the cab driver that this was their stop.

Joan was confused, she couldn't detect that they were close to the convention. So why did they stop? The cab driver peeked over at the place that they stopped at and looked over to them and gave them a look that could only be described as, "Are you crazy? Do you have a death sentence?!" But Adrian reassured him that this was the place. They got out of the cab with their things in tow. And as Adrian was about to pay for the cab fare, the cab driver refused to take the money. He replied, "Kid, if you're going in THERE. Then you're going to need all the money you can get." 

Joan was confused about what he said and was about to ask him about it. But before she could, he said, "Good luck, kid! You're going to need it!" Then he sped off out of sight within a blink of an eye, leaving only car exhaust behind. As Joan was coughing because of the exhaust, she still didn't understand what he meant by that, until the smoke cleared. As it cleared, she turned around to see the last place that she wanted to be. It was the Devil's Casino! Her mouth dropped open and her pupils dilated to the size of peas. On the other hand, Adrian looked excited with a smug smile on his face and a determined look in his eyes. With his hands on his waist and bags in his arms he proclaimed, "Well, let's get going!"

To be continued....  
In chapter 2!!! ;)


	2. Troubles Brewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What has Adrian gotten themselves into? Read and find out if they make it out without going broke or worse yet, soulless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heaven double O-3 here and I have a special bit for you!
> 
> In this chapter, well, at least the very end, I'll be describing Joan and her twin sister!
> 
> Can't wait? Then read and find out!😉

"Well let's get going!" As soon as Adrian said that, Joan immediately snapped out of her shocked trance and then to the emotion of surprise to as hot and raging as the sun, angry. "How could you do this to me!" She screeched in his face. Adrian was surprised at first and tried to ask why she was yelling at him, but before he could, he was cut off by a stranger that approached them. It was one of the devil employees of the casino. He asked, "Are you two alright? Do we need to call the police?" Adrian told him that everything was alright and that there was just a simple misunderstanding. So then he asked another question. "Well....are you coming in or not?" Joan took her gaze from him to Adrian and sharpened it into a hot and intense looking glare that practically said, "Don't you dare!" He said, despite this intimidating glare threat, he replied, "Uhh...yes! We both will be going in. By the way, is there a eating establishment in here?" The employee replied, "Yes! Actually there is! If you want, I can recommend you some of the specials?" Adrian replied, "Yes, please do!" The employee replied, "Ok then, follow me to a table and I will be your server."

As they were walking inside, Joan angerely whispered to Adrian, "How could you do this to me?! You know darn well WHO I work for and WHO I work against! What will happen if things go south and they discover who I am?!" Adrian put on a fake smile to not let anyone suspect them of anything. Joan quickly caught on and did the same before the waiter turned around to check on them. He asked if they were alright and they nervously replied, "Yes!" He raised his brow in confusion, then he shrugged his shoulders and turned back forward leading them the way to their table. Then Adrian whispered to Joan, " I did this because we were running low on funds for our trip. And I figured since you're so used to going to Hell and back for work, I figured this would be a walk in the park for you. Besides, you know I'm really good at these games. I'm technically the grandchild of Lady Luck herself, remember?" What he said was all true. A while back, Lady Luck married and had a child with a human man. And then years later, her daughter married the human/dragon hybrid son of the gatekeepers, the Lovecrafts. And years later, Adrian was born. And from day one he was always considered the 'Lucky Dragon Man' because of his supreme lucky powers that he inherited from his mother's side of the family. And it was true that they spent a lot of money to even get to Inkwell Isle and didn't have much left to have a good time with her mother. It was also true that she constantly went back and forth between Heaven and Hell because of her work. But the thing that wasn't true was the supposed fact that she was used to coming down to Hell so many times for recon missions for Heaven. She never got used to the screams of tortured souls and the maniacal laughters of the devils and demons torturing those souls. Or the torture methods of making those souls as miserable as possible. She always hated the sights, sounds, smells, and creatures of that place. Be it human or nonhuman, she hated it all to the very core of her inner being.

But as long as the employees and especially, if unlucky enough, the boss, doesn't discover who she was. And as long as they were earning enough money discretely enough to not get noticed by anyone, they were fine. At least, for now. She whispered to Adrian, "Fine! But if we get caught, and we somehow escape alive, I'm going to kill you!" Adrian made a smirk on his face, and said, "The only reason you're fine with this is because we're about to get decent food for the first time in 3 days. The food on the ship wasn't what you would call a gourmet feast and easy on the stomach." Joan was silent for a few moments and then replied, "Maybe. By the way, you're paying for the food and the drinks!" Adrian smiled and said, "Sure thing princess." He teased. A vein popped up on her head and she jabbed him in the ribs so hard that he almost let out a scream of pain. The waiter turned around and asked once more if they were alright. Joan angerely said that they were okay. The waiter asked, "Are you sure? Because your companion there looks like he's about to cringe over and die right where he stands." She said he was fine, just nervous that he's going through such a lovely casino. "Right Adrian?" She said in a threatening tone. He used every bit of his power not to fall to his knees and shook his head and said that he was fine and for him, the waiter, to continue showing the way to their table. The waiter started to catch on what was happening and presumed that they were fighting with each other and decided to stay quiet and show them to their table without getting involved in the fight. (Good move). Plus he was getting kind of scared of Joan and her way of discreet (?) and painfully obvious way of saying, "Shut up and do your damn job and serve me food!"

They finally got to their table and sat in their seats. The waiter said that he would give them some time to think about what to order and went to go get them some water. They stayed silent until the waiter came back with their water and then left again to help someone that was calling for him. He told them that he would be right back and told them to continue thinking over of what they want. As soon as he left, it went downhill from there.

To be continued...

Profiles of the OC twins:

First OC:Joan  
Name:Joan Rouge Star  
Gender: Female  
Age: Supposedly, 18 years old (nobody really knows except her and her family)  
Hair/Eye color: Blonde (very)/Icy Blue

Talents: Singing and dancing and all of the above!

Personality: Hot-tempered if provoked, cool-headed, smart, funny, caring, kind, loves family and friends. Also loves children, music, art, sports, (creative and athletic), and loves and lives life to the very fullest. Very down to earth, and responsible, and religious. Despises evil and its creator,(the devil), but loves to create mischief, playful confusion, and of course, pranks.

Race: human/hybrid

DNA: 2/5th's human; 1/5th werehuman(cat);1/5th (dog-like) Holy Dark Cupid; and 1/5th Angel.

Quirks: Her voice tends to crack in a British accent when upset. Tends to be a lone wolf in the crowd, (but is just extremely shy). Wants to make friends and such but is afraid of getting too close and then hurting them. She's a bit paranoid of everything and everyone due to her and her twin sister's long, shady, sketchy, and dark past. She also tends to be violent, (especially towards people and things that are either evil, annoying, or just plain jerks). 

Voices she has that sounds like if she were real: As far as singing goes--- Adriana Figuora; High-pitch Nightcore (female) singing and any High-pitch/light sounding voices or sometimes in back-up singing.

Powers/Special abilities: Since she's a hybrid, she has many powers and such, but the ones she seems to use the most is: Abnormal super strength; flight (because of wings); super speed; high intelligence; and shape-shifting. She can do a lot of other stuff, but it would take to long to list it out.

Additional info: She normally doesn't use her powers unless it's either in emergencies, keeping herself healthy and fit, keeping herself organized, putting somebody back in their place (beating someone up), roasting or insulting someone, or of she's either tired or just feels like it. 

*Half of this stuff she can do without powers but at less speed.

Second OC: Josephine  
Name: Josephine Mauve Star  
Gender:

Female  
Age: Supposedly 18 (but like her twin sister, no one really knows for sure except for her family).  
Hair/Eye color: Blonde (very)/ Icy blue

Talents: Singing, dancing, and all of the above!

Personality: Unlike her sister, she's more composed when being insulted or confronted by someone. Although she's very vindictive, so be careful in what you say to her, or else you could end up in a hospital bed in the emergency room. She loves everything that her sister loves and cares about, and also like her sister, she despises everything that she, her sister, despises. Which includes the Devil. And just like her sister she loves to create mischief and such. It isn't like she's copying her sister, she, just like any identical twins share things that are ALMOST alike. *Hence the key word "almost".*

Race: human/hybrid

DNA: 2/5th's human; 1/5th were-human(cat); 1/5th (dog-like) Holy Dark Cupid; and 1/5th Angel.

Quirks: Unlike her sister, when she gets upset her voice cracks into an French accent. She also likes to be the flashy, flamboyant, social butterfly when in front of crowds. When in reality, she's just as scared of hurting someone that she might get too close to. And she's just as paranoid of her surroundings and such but doesn't show it as much as her sister does. It's mainly because of her past that's made her this way. And she does act violently, but does it in a way that is discreet (?) To pretty much to the same things as her sister does. 

Voices she would have if she were real: Unlike her sister, she has a deep soothing voice. But she can also sing higher. She just doesn't want to. Her voices sound like the YouTubers Annapantsu, SquigglyDigg, Levi Jones, and ect. (Which BTW are totally awesome! Check them out, and the other singers that I list in both the profiles and the stories.)

Powers/Special abilities: Once again, unlike her sister, she flaunts her powers and abilities. Especially when it comes to to either protecting someone or threaten her enemies. But as far as the ones she uses the most... I'd say, Super Strength, Shape shifting, High intelligence, Instant karma, Covering her tracks, Seductive charm, and of course flying. (You know, because of wings). 

Additional info: After her sister separated from her and the shady things that they were doing, Josephine decided to do it a while longer. But for reasons that I will reveal later, she gets out of it and goes off the grid for several years. Joan did the same, but she was more lax than what Josephine did. But she later shows up in her sister's life again later on in the story.

*All other OCs will be explained in the chapters ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? I hope my profiles on at least SOME of my OCs helps with your imagination.
> 
> I already have a lot of chapters ready for you guys, but I just don't want to rush it quite yet. 
> 
> If it helps, I'll update this every one or two weeks. And THAT'S a solemn promise from me, the author, to you, the readers.
> 
> Anywho~  
> Joan is NOT happy with Adrian right now. And it gets worse on from here. God, help us all! 
> 
> But wait!!! There's hope! Do I hear the clinking of fine China and sly plus snarky comments nearby? 
> 
> Stick around to find out!
> 
> This is Heaven signing out! PEACE, LOVE, AND PERRY!!!✌️😘🤺


	3. An Unexpected Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joan is FURIOUS with Adrian. But she won't be like that for long once she finds out a certain pair of brothers work there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there~  
> Heaven here~  
> Like what the summary says, Joan is TICKED at Adrian. But will this UNEXPECTED REUNION with the Cup brothers bring the loving feelings that she had years ago back again?  
> Read and find out!

As soon as the waiter left the table, the REAL conversation began. And if Adrian had known that what he was about to say would land him in the doghouse, he would've kept his mouth shut. "So~...." He began. "What's the REAL reason that you're mad at me?" Joan gave him a look that said, "What do you mean?" But in a very ticked off way. He flinched a little, but continued. "Well, I mean, I've known you for my whole life and I know that I've done things that would tick you off. But not to the point to where you're using your silent fury on me. And I know that bringing you here without your consent has you hopping mad, but I have the feeling that's not the only thing." Joan didn't say a thing and turned her head the other way so that she didn't have to look at him, and gave a silent "Hmph!" He looked surprised, then he said, "Oh, c'mon Joan! You can tell me what's bothering you. I'll understand!" He sighed, and said under his breath, "I thought you trusted me. I thought you were my best friend." And that's when she snapped. "It's BECAUSE you're my best friend that I THOUGHT I could trust you! But you violated that trust when you brought me HERE of all places without even telling me beforehand! You knew how I felt about this place and yet here we are! Oooohhhh.... just because you have incredible lucky powers, doesn't mean that you'll win in any of these gambling games! This is THE Devil's Casino! What makes you think that HE doesn't have a trick or two up his sleeve?! And what makes you think that HE or his employees won't plan to cheat while playing the game, hmmm?! I swear, Adrian, out of all the things that you've done to tick me off from all the years that we've known each other for, this is probably the most hurtful thing you've done to me!" She looked at his hurt expression on his face and saw that people were staring at them and whispering to each other. She sighed, and said, "I'm going to the bar. You can eat then play your stupid games. Make sure you tell the waiter that I'm going to the bar to order and have my meal. And like I said before, you're paying for both of us. Oh and before I forget, whatever you do, don't bet on more than you have. Or else your soul will be taken. I don't want to have to explain to your family that I let you die while on my watch. And the last thing I need is to have more guilt on my conscience. Stay safe, okay?"

She walked away from the table and headed over to the bar and ordered a water with a lemon wedge in it. The bar tender was a tall and buff looking man with a square whiskey bottle for a head. Joan looked at his name tag on his uniform. It said that his name was Whiskey Glass. He raised a brow and asked if that was all she was having. She replied, "Yes, but I'm having a waiter come over here and serve me my food. Why you ask?" He said that he thought it was strange for an angry woman to come over to a bar and only ask for water instead of alcohol. "I just need to stay away from a friend of mine that ticked me off. I don't really drink alcohol. Never have and probably never will. And would like to keep it that way. No offense." He replied, "None taken. Even WE get a few customers like you from time to time." 'We?' what did he mean by that? Then at that exact moment two more glasses for heads-like people showed up. One was short and had thick eyebrows and a brown and thick mustache. His name was Rum Glass. And the other was a tall woman with an giant olive in her head. Her name was Martini Glass. Joan wondered if they were related to each other somehow. The two glasses told Whiskey that they were needed by the boss for some reason. He told them that he would be there in a minute or two. He just had to serve Joan her water first.

Joan asked if that was okay making his boss wait. He said it was fine. It won't take him long to give her the water. He also said, "The boss is in a good mood today. So he won't mind." Soon enough he served her the water and left the counter. "By the way, the new guy will be over here in a minute. He'll serve you anything else you want to drink, besides water. Just take it easy on him. Like I said before, he's new." Joan smiled and nodded to say she understood. He smiled back and left with the other two.

"Strange..." She thought to herself. She never once thought that she would smile in a place like this in a million years. I guess it just depends on the type of people that you meet that can change your mood drastically. As she continued to think to herself she was about to take a sip of her drink, when she realized that she almost forgot something. She put the drink down, and pulled out from her pocket a small bottle of Holy Water. Despite the bartender being friendly to her and all. She couldn't take a chance in this place. I mean, it's called the Devil's Casino for a reason. Once she put a few drops of the water in her drink, she stirred it up, and took a long sip. She sighed in relief. The water was absolutely refreshing! Despite her sudden relief, she still felt bad at yelling at Adrian. But she was still mad at him for deceiving her. But she knew that she had to forgive him sooner or later. 

So as she was thinking of a way to apologise to Adrian, she unknowingly drank all her water in one go. Then out of the blue, a familiar voice that she thought that she would never hear again cut through her deep thoughts like a sword cutting a piece of paper. She raised her head and replied, "What?" And as she looked at him her eyes widened and her mouth slightly ajar. A short man with a mug for a head, a blue nose, a white and blue striped straight straw sticking out from the top, and wearing a blue themed casino work uniform with a blue spade patch sown on the corner of his vest stood before her behind the counter. He replied, "Do you need any more to drink miss? I'm filling in for Whisky for now, but I think he'll be back soon. Just have some patience with me. I'm new at this. I'm normally the waiter, but we're short on staff today. Please treat me well. Oh, and before I forget, my name is Mugman and my twin brother, Cuphead, will be replacing your previous waiter. He'll be over in a minute to take your order as soon as he's done with your friend over there. But either way, do you need anymore to drink miss?"

She was so distraught, shocked, and nervous that she could hardly answer. She nervously looked behind her to see if what she thought was HIM was just a mistake. But there was no mistake. The person that would soon come over and take her order was the boy that she fell in love with years ago. And the one before her was his brother who she considered as her brother as well. She finally was able to ask him a question without stuttering. "Mugman....?" He replied, "Yes miss?" She nervously swallowed whatever was preventing her from talking, took a deep breath, and asked, "Do you and your brother remember me?"

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooohhhh~  
> Cliffhanger!!!!  
> WILL Mugman remember who she is? Or will she get her hopes up for nothing?!
> 
> Hang around and find out dear readers!
> 
> This is Heaven signing out!


	4. The Bet (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Joan remembers how she met the Cup Brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there 👋!!!!  
> I hope you all love this chapter, because this is when it gets good~
> 
> Anyways, on with the chapter!!!

"Do you and your brother remember me?" Joan's words hung in the air for what seemed like a million years. There was, what it seemed, complete silence between the two of them. Then Mugman finally replied, "I'm sorry miss, I don't really know who you are. Actually this is my first time seeing you here at the casino. Maybe my brother would know, I'll ask him." "Ask me what? What do I know?" Joan flinched as the oh so familiar voice spoke out right beside her. She didn't even hear him coming! Maybe it was because the casino games and people are so loud. Or maybe it was the fact that she was really shocked and nervous that she finally met the brothers after all these years. "Oh, there you are Cuphead! We have a question for you." Mugman said eagerly. "Lay it on me brother!" Cuphead exclaimed. Mugman replied,"This young lady here wants to know if we have ever met her before." Cuphead raised a brow and then a cocky smirk, "Muggy you and I are only 18 years old. 'Young lady'? Really? You sound like an old man again." Mugman made a look, a head gesture, and a 'Ahem'/cough toward Joan, that said, "Shut up and just answer the damn question!" Cuphead got the memo loud and clear. He replied, "Ummm....to answer that question.... I'm not really sure. Hey miss? Can you please turn around so I can see your face? It's kinda hard to tell who you are just by looking at part of your face." Joan started to sweat profusely but not to the point where it showed. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and turned around to face him. She opened her eyes and saw an older looking Cuphead. He, like his brother had similar features. In both race, height, looks (kinda), and clothing. The only difference between them were that Cuphead's head was a little more wider and circular. And that his uniform had a red color theme to it and had a red diamond patch at the corner top of his vest. Oh and did I mention, their personalities as well? Joan had her thick glasses on and of course had her hair in the way (sort of), so Cuphead couldn't tell that she was wide eyed and was about to blush and cry at the same time. She did everything in her power from losing her composure and making a scene (again). She, unbeknownst to Cuphead and Mugman, she was using both of her hands to squeeze the sides of the bar chair. Trying very hard not to jump out of the chair and giving Cuphead a big kiss and hug. Cuphead stared at her for the longest time, then finally replied, "Nope! Never met her! I would definitely remember your face. I'm good with faces, so I definitely would know." 

Joan figured as much. She WAS the one to seal away their memories of her and what they did together 8 or 9 years ago. But she remembers it as if it was just yesterday. She remembered that when she first arrived at Inkwell Isle, she was the new kid in the neighborhood and everything was new to her. From seeing moving vehicles to seeing a skyscraper. Before living there, she was either in foreign countries or going back and forth between dimensions learning what her parents did for work and preparing to get ready for Heaven's training camp. The reason she was at Inkwell Isle was because her parents thought it would be a good idea for her and her twin sister to get some practice in before going to the training program for a few years. And becoming members of the Heaven's court in the next thousand years. She wasn't so enthused to being in a strange and remote part of the world. Her sister, on the other hand, was so excited that she could hardly keep still in one place. She kept trying to remind her sister that they were there for training purposes only. And not to fool around with either buying things that they didn't need or goofing off too much and not to wander off to far and to stay close to her. But her words were in vain. She turned around and her sister was gone. Joan face palmed her face and groaned. She started looking for her immediately while grumbling underneath her breath, "I'm the younger twin. So why do I have to act like the mature one around here?! You're supposed to set a good example for me and our family. What the heck Josephine?!" She cried out for her sister as she ran down the street. Looking left and right, she didn't notice that there was someone in front of her. She accidentally ran into a large, buff, and intimidating wolf man with scars on different parts of his body. As she stared at him, he replied, "Hey you little punk! Watch where you're going!" She snapped out of her surprised trance and tried to apologise, but she kept stuttering over her words. "Oh, I see. It's because I'm not human that you must think I'm a freak?! Go on! Say it! I dare you! Say I'm a freak! You're going to pay for being rude to me anyways!" She tried to get the words from her mouth but she couldn't. It was her first time feeling so scared. Even though she's seen a lot more scary things in the last 10,000 years, for some reason, she couldn't gather her courage to defend herself. Due to her heritage, she ages a lot slower than the average person; so she was basically only a 10 year old back then. Or at least had the appearance of one. But compared to how old her parents were and the rest of her family, she and her sister were considered as youngsters. The wolf man replied, "Well whether you say it or not, you're still gonna get a good beating!" As he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, she closed her eyes and waited for him to punch her. But before he could, her sister jumped right on him and tried to hold his arm back. 

Now you got to remember, they weren't ordinary little girls. They had numerous powers they could use. And the one Josephine used was her super strength to hold him from hitting her sister. Joan was surprised that her sister was doing this. For deep rooted and traumatizing reasons, Josephine hasn't fought seriously since the year of 1200 A.D. Back then, (730 years ago), they were only 9,270 years old and dealing with the Greek's Dark Ages. They both had to fend for themselves from the harsh obstacles, trials, and environment all around them. Josephine was fine with fighting then, but something happened that made her not want to willingly fight at all. So Joan had to do it for her and protect her. But now the roles were switched and now it was her sister's turn to protect her. 

Josephine used all her strength to hold him back from hitting her, but for some reason, he wasn't letting go of her shirt. So she did the only thing that she COULD do. She climbed up further on his back until she got to the base of his neck, opened her mouth, and chomped down so hard that even a deaf person could hear it. The screams of pain that came afterwards were just as loud. He let go of Joan and as soon as he did, Josephine released him from her Hellishly powerful and painful bite grip from his neck, and grabbed Joan by the arm and yelled, "Ruuuuunnnn!!!!" They ran and ran until they ended up in the middle of the woods. They had no idea where they were and what they were going to do. But the first thing they did was stop to catch their breathes. Second thing they did was look at each other, hugged one another tightly, and wept until they had no tears left to shed. 

After an hour or so, they were trying to make their way through the woods, seeing if they can find help. They were a tattered mess. Joan had tears in her shirt from the wolf man's claws from when he grabbed her, she was covered in dirt from running so much, and her hair was in disarray. Josephine wasn't any better. She was also covered in dirt from running so much, and had messy hair. But her face, especially around the mouth area, was covered in wolf man blood from when she bit him. They wanted to at least find a stream to wash up and get at least cleaned up to the point where they didn't look like they had committed a murder.

When they finally found a decent stream of water, it was already sunset and was getting dark. When they were about reach for the water they heard voices on the other side of the stream. The voices were getting closer and closer to them. Until they, (the people), were in view, but only in shadow form. The sisters were frightened, and hid behind some bushes until the people left. They were perfectly quiet until one of them accidentally broke a stick, making a loud 'SNAP'! The people on the other side heard this and replied, "Who's there?! Show Yourself! We're armed and we're not afraid to use 'em!" The sisters cried out, "Wait! Don't fire, please! We just want some water and help!" As the sisters were coming out of the bushes, Joan whispered to her sister to stay behind her since she didn't want to scare the people that possibly had firearms on them. She did exactly that, since she had so much blood on her face. 

As they came out, the sun was shining a golden light in between the stream of water making it glisten like jewels. As both the sisters and the people stepped into the sun light they were able to properly get a good look at each other. As the sisters stared at the people across from them, they realized that they weren't people, monsters, adults with dangerous firearms, or all of the above combined together. They were little cup children that were carrying not firearms, but butterfly nets. And like how Josephine was hiding behind Joan, the little blue mug child was hiding behind the little red cup child. They looked to be about the girls ages, you know, appearance wise. As the sun shone down on Joan's beautiful, messy, bright blonde hair, it revealed her wild, but glowing, icy blue eyes. Cuphead's mouth went slightly ajar and his eyes started to go wide and glisten and started to blush a slight red across his face. Joan saw his reaction towards her and couldn't help but think, "What's the matter with him? He's just staring at me. And I think he has a cold. Does he have a fever? Why isn't he saying anything? Is it because of how I look right now?" Joan was new to love back then. After the thousands of years that she's lived, she never once had a crush on someone and vice versa before, until now. 

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think so far?! Cute aren't they~?  
> With their butterfly nets and crushes!!!   
> 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all have a blessed day! 
> 
> Heaven signing out!!!!


	5. The Bet (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we will be looking a little further into young Cuphead's and Joan's relationship when they were younger.
> 
> Enjoy!!!

As a young Cuphead stared into the eyes of his first crush, he couldn't think up the right words to greet her properly, little alone ask her for her name. Joan raised a brow and said, "Umm....excuse me? Can you please say something? Me and my sister can use some help." Then he finally noticed that, she too, had a twin sister. He also finally noticed how much of a mess they were in. "They look like they just got into a fight or something." Cuphead thought to himself. He thought long and hard to himself then turned around to his brother and asked if Elder Kettle was willing to help them. Mugman said that he probably would, but Mugman also contradicted his brother that they knew nothing about these girls. And the fact that one of them was covered in blood just made it even more suspicious. But Cuphead argued with him and said, "That's also why we have to help them out! What if they were in a fight with a bear or something and they got hurt?" Mugman couldn't argue with him against that logic, (for once), because judging by their appearance, they did look like they could possibly be hurt. Mugman sighed and said, "Okay, fine. We'll take them to Elder Kettle." Cuphead smiled and said, "You're the best, Muggy!" And Mugman told him that he better take responsibility for whatever went wrong. Cuphead shrugged it off and turned back to face the girls. But as he turned around, he was caught off guard when he suddenly found that the girls were already on the other side of the stream. And right in front of him to boot! "Sorry for surprising you! We just really need help!" As Joan pleaded to Cuphead, she held her sister's hand tightly to reassure her that everything would be alright. Cuphead noticed that Josephine was shaking all over and was trying hard to use her other hand to wipe as much blood off her face as possible. He made a face that said, "That's it! We're helping them!" And Mugman knew that look of determination all to well. He also knew that once he set his sights on doing something, he was going to do it till the end! And no one, not even Mugman, could change his mind. Especially if it involved something that he had an interest in. Mugman stared at his brother and how he was looking at Joan, and sighed in disbelief.

And in response, Mugman replied, "Alright. Let's get going before it gets too late. If it gets any darker, we won't be able to find our way home. And Elder Kettle will be worried sick wondering where we are." As Mugman said that, he started off down the path ahead of his brother. Cuphead realized how late it was and how Mugman was leaving them behind. Cuphead quickly reached out and grabbed Joan's hand and said, "C'mon, let's get going! We can't do much to help you guys. But we know someone who can!" Joan and Josephine were surprised at first, but then they looked at each other and nodded in agreement that they were going to take a gamble and trust him and his brother. 

While Cuphead was leading the way with his hand in hers he asked, "Y'know.... I never caught your name. What is your and your sister's name anyways? My name is Cuphead. And the guy up ahead leading the way is my twin brother, Mugman. We live in these woods. We sometimes go to the city with Elder Kettle to see the shops and such. But I don't think I've ever seen you guys before. Not in the city and definitely not here in the woods. And usually I'm good with faces, so I would recognize you guys anywhere! (Especially someone as pretty as you)." Cuphead didn't know it, but Joan overheard that last part of what he said, that he was trying oh-so hard to hide by whispering it underneath his breath. 

Joan thought to herself, "Me? Pretty?" As far back as she can remember, no one has ever called her pretty before. Well, except for her parents, her sister, and her family members. She thought that he was trying to make her feel better about herself, (given by the state that she was in), by complimenting her without meaning it. Then, as she looked at him, he was trying very hard to hide his face from her. She came to discover, that he was blushing! She stared in wonder and soon enough, she started to blush as well. When she realized this, she quickly tilted her head downwards so that he wouldn't see her like that. Josephine and Mugman were quietly watching them as Cuphead and Joan were, unknowingly, falling head over heels in love for each other. The siblings rolled their eyes and smiled for the two of them. For they knew that this was their first time having a crush. 

Soon enough, they reached to a cozy looking little cottage. Joan stared at it in wonder for what seemed like forever, but in reality, it was only 2 minutes tops. "Well here we are!" Cuphead exclaimed. "Let's just go in already before we get in any more trouble than we're already in." Groaned Mugman. Cuphead, still holding Joan's hand, started to move forward. Joan quickly realized what was happening and stopped where she stood. Cuphead noticed that he couldn't move forward because Joan was resisting to move. Cuphead asked what was wrong. And she asked who they were going to meet, and if they can help them. Cuphead realized that he didn't tell her who was going to help them yet. He told them that the person that was going to help them was the person who raised and looked after him and his brother. His name was Elder Kettle and he was a kind man and looked after those who needed help. He had many secrets. Some even the Cup brothers didn't know. But what they did know was that Elder Kettle was more than willing to help a person who was in trouble.

Joan wasn't sure that a man that good would help them given on how they looked in their current state. Cuphead reassured her that he would definitely help. Mugman volunteered to go in first and talk about it with Elder Kettle and see what he thinks. So as he went in, he looked around the room to see if he was close by. And there he was, on his rocking chair sound asleep. Mugman quickly went over to him and woke him up. "Mugman, my boy! Where have you been?! Any longer, and I would've gone out searching for you and your brother! Speaking of your brother, where is he? Don't tell me you left him behind? Or did he just not bother to follow you?" Mugman took a deep breath and told him what happened. "Oh my! Well where are the poor things?! We must treat any wounds that they might have!" Mugman smiled and made a face that said, "That's Elder Kettle for you." Mugman ushered in Cuphead, who in turn, slowly and gently, ushered in the nervous, trembling, tattered, and tired looking sisters. 

"Oh dear! You really do need some help. Come here little ones, I won't hurt you. I just want to help." The sister's looked at each other, then back at the kind and gentle old man. He was, like I said, an old, kind, and gentle man. But just like the Cup brothers, he was not human. He was an old brown kettle man with a thick white mustache and had a look in his eyes that gleamed with wisdom and kindness. The sisters were unsure at first if whether or not he can be trusted, but as they took their gaze off him and looked all around the living room, they saw numerous pictures of him and the Cup bros as they were growing up. And also some other pictures of other "people" that they, the Cup Bros, knew and were good friends with. They all had happy smiling faces looking as though that they were having a good time with each other. After they were done looking at the pictures, they turned back their gaze at the old kettle man. And with his hand stretched out to hold theirs, they looked at each other once more then looked at his hand one more time and Joan very carefully took her hand out of Cuphead's hand and reached out and cautiously put her hand in his. He gripped her hand very gently, put his other hand on top of hers, and looked at her and her sister with a loving gaze. It was the gaze that a parent would give to their child when they were scared and hurt. The gaze itself said, "It's going to be alright. I'm here, you're safe now." Both Joan and Josephine had never seen such goodness in a mortal being in over a hundred years. When they recognized the warmth that he was emitting from his soul, they instantly knew that he could be trusted.

"Mugman, go warm up some water in the bathtub and Cuphead you get some spare clothes that we aren't using. And after you boys do that, go to the kitchen and make two more plates of tonight's dinner for our guests." As soon as Elder Kettle said that, the boys rushed to do just as he instructed. "Well now, let's get you girls changed out of those dirty clothes, and get you warmed and cleaned up and changed in some new clothes. And after that, we'll get you girls something to eat. Afterwards, we need to call your parents to tell them that you're alright." The girls looked at each other with concern in their eyes that said, "We can't tell them who we are, or we'll get in trouble! What are we going to do?" Elder Kettle observed their reactions and started to think deeply. "You know, girls. You can tell me if you're in trouble with your parents. I'll help in any way I can. But you need to tell me the truth." The girls looked at each other once more then Joan began to speak, "Sir, we thank you so much for your help. And we will be forever in your debt, but even if you do call our parents, they won't be able to make it here. They're super busy and they sent us here to this Isle for training purposes before going to a military training camp for a few years. So we'll only be staying here for at least a year. But we have nowhere to go or to live at. We were hoping you could let us live here for at least a year. After that we'll be leaving the Isle. Would you mind if we stayed here for a while?" Elder Kettle hesitated for a moment then said, "How about we get you girls taken care of first? Then we'll talk about living arrangements. Agreed?" They shook their heads in agreement. Then he said, "Good! Now let's go see if Mugman has drawn the warm water yet, shall we?" As he grabbed his cane he led the girls to the bathroom where Mugman was watching the water levels and testing the water temperature. "Oh, hi Elder Kettle! I was just making sure it was just at the right height and temperature for the girls. And your right on time! It's about done filling up." As Mugman said that, he turned the knobs to stop the water and left the room so the girls could get cleaned up. Elder Kettle thanked Mugman, then helped the girls get cleaned up. Then afterwards, got them clean clothes that actually we're a perfect fit for the girls. After that, they ate their supper and explained what happened in town earlier that day. 

The boys thought it was incredible!!! Josephine's actions even got the respect of Elder Kettle! But he warned them to be more careful next time. He also told them of where to go and where not to go in town and in the woods. Especially at the Devil's Casino. He said that if you go there, you'll never come out. Let's just say, they took his word for it. He also told the same thing to the boys as well. (A lot of good that did). Then after supper, Elder Kettle finally gave his answer to the girls. He said, "After all the things that you girls have been through today, you deserve a good place to stay. And not just for at least a year, but anytime that you are in the area. This place is not just my or the boy's home, it's your home as well. It's OUR home. And besides, I think the boys have grown quite fond of you girls. Especially our little Cuphead. Ho, ho, ho!" Cuphead yelled, "Elder Kettle~! Shut uuuuup!" The girls were shocked when they heard this. Then shocked turned into happiness. They were so happy that they started to cry and ran towards the old kettle man and gave them a big hug. Because now, not only did they find a place to stay temporarily, but they found a home, a new family, a place in the world where they felt that they can fit and belong in, and a new reason to trust the mortals of the Earth once more. "Oh, and Elder Kettle? We forgot to introduce ourselves. My name is Joan! And this is my twin sister, Josephine!" Elder Kettle smiled and replied, "It's good to finally know your names. They are quite lovely names for such sweet girls like yourselves." He hugged them till they were satisfied and helped them to bed in a spare room that they had and wished them sweet dreams.

After that day, the girls day's were filled with nothing but training and happiness. Joan even managed to tell Cuphead how she felt about him. Let's just say he was excited. But for the remainder of the girl's days, they were painful. They were painful because they had to leave soon and had to say goodbye. And they knew somehow that they wouldn't see them in a very long time and would only hurt them by making them wait for them to come back. For even after the girls got back from their duties that was expected of them to accomplish, the odds are that the time that they did return, the guys would either be old men that have gone senile or could be dead. It's not easy being part of the immortals. Sometimes you have to say goodbye to the people you love while you continue to live on and alone. So in order to make sure that they both live their lives without pain, they decided that Joan would seal away their memories.

On the last day of their stay, Cuphead had Joan make a promise to him that she would come back and be with him forever. As he said that, she gave him a kiss on his cheek, sealing his memories of her and her sister staying and playing with them until she did come again to unseal them. After which, she made that promise with Elder Kettle and sealed his memories as well. And Mugman, being the witness to all of this, had only one thing to say, "I know that you have a good reason for doing all this. And I know that you are going to do the same thing to me. But can you please promise me one thing before you do?" She nodded yes. "Thank you for all the precious memories that you gave us. And I can never thank you enough for making Cuphead so happy. If you're going to seal away my memories, then please promise me this. Promise me, that when you do come back after who knows how long, that you will find us, no matter what, and unseal our memories, and that you become a part of our family and do everything in your power to make our lives as meaningful as possible!!!" Joan was so surprised at his request, then she gave him a loving smile and as tears welded up in her eyes she sealed his memories away. "Elder Kettle, Mugman, and Cuphead..... I promise, I'll come back. One way or another, I'll come back. And when I do, I'll keep my promises to you guys. And I'll fulfill every bit of it to the T. This is my promise to you guys, this is my Angel Promise." Then her sister said, "Don't you mean, OUR Angel Promise?" Joan turned around to look at her sister with tears streaming down her face, then she ran towards her with open arms. They hugged each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then Josephine asked if they, the guys, would be okay after waking up from their unconscious state after having their memories removed. Joan said that they would be fine, just a little dizzy, nauseated, and of course wondering how they can't even remember what happened in the past year. They smiled at each other and as they held each other's hands, they summoned the Heaven's stair case and climbed it till they were at their destination.

The one thing that they didn't know would happen was that they were going to be training in an alternate dimension where time goes faster than it does in the realm that they live in. So basically, a few thousand years, let's say about 7,992 years in the alternate dimension is equivalent to about, let's say, a little over a week in their home realm. So when they came back they were now teenagers, at least appearance wise. They were now 17,992 years old. And during the eight years that they spent in their home realm was very, "adventurous". But they never forgot their promise to their Earth family.

Back to the present, she has now come face to face with the people that she made the Angel Promise to, and she found them in the Devil's Casino! Basically in Hell! And the one place Elder Kettle told them not to go. And working AT the casino as well. And as waiters no less! All she had to say was, "What the Hell?!"


	6. The Bet (part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Joan comes out of flashback to when she and the others were younger and now has to somehow talk to a Cuphead who doesn't remember her! But now she has more than an amnesiac childhood lover to deal with thanks to Adrian. What did he do you might ask? Come along and find out! 
> 
> Enjoy!!!

"What the Hell?! What the Hell is this situation?! I finally meet my Earth family, that was so good and pure hearted to take in me and my sister when we had nowhere to go, after all these years. And out of all the places that I could possibly run into them; it had to be in the last place that I would ever imagine. It just had to be in the place, that I would rather pluck my feathers off one by one, very slowly and painfully I might add, than take one step in. Ever. Except for work related business." Joan thought all of this inside her head while Cuphead and Mugman was trying to figure out what she was doing. She was just sitting there, staring, and not saying anything. "Uhhh....you okay there miss? I need to, um, take your order now if that's ok with you?" As Cuphead said that, he took out his notepad and pencil ready to take her order. If she can somehow get out of this awkward position that she's put herself in. 

"Think Joan! You need to say something! You can't just keep sitting here and continue to say nothing! It's already creeping them out! Especially to Cuphead. C'mon! Think! He's asking for your order! Pick up and look at the menu and order something! Or at least ask for the specials that he thinks is good! Speak up!" Joan nervously thought this to herself and finally opened her mouth to speak and was at least able to get a few words in until~..... "Actually I would like to ask for your opinio-," As she was about to finish her question, a sudden uproar of noise consisting of loud cheering and booing disrupted her from speaking any further. Especially when she heard Adrian's name come up from the crowd of voices. "Hey, isn't that your friend who I just took his order just a moment ago?" Cuphead pointed towards the dealers table where a swarm of people were gathered. She suddenly got up from her seat and made a dash towards the crowd, fearing the worst. The brothers were a little startled and tried to call her back but by the time that they tried to say something to her, she was already there and couldn't hear them calling for her. 

She tried to ask politely for the people to step aside to let her through, but all that got her was a harsh shove from an impolite demon with a two piece suit, shiny shoes, and medium sized horns. She stumbled over her feet because of the push and almost landed on the floor. But someone caught her. She looked up and saw that it was humanoid person that was made entirely of poker chips. He was dressed from head to toe in cowboy themed clothes, including the boots! His voice and mannerisms were also like that of a cowboy as well. For a moment she almost thought that he WAS an authentic cowboy from the wild wild west. "Are you alright ma'am? You almost took a nasty fall there. Don't you know that you can't dive in head first into mob like that? Are you new to this casino? Or are you just crazy?" Joan noticed that he was also carrying a pistol on his waistbelt. She took that opportunity to grab it and fire a few rounds in the air. 'BAM!' 'BAM!' 'BAM!' she fired in the air until the crowd dispersed. And when they, (the crowd of people) did, she handed back the pistol to its owner, who she didn't know at the time, was one of the employees of the casino, Chips Bettigan. And let's just say, he was both flabbergasted and impressed. He also felt a little fear when she said, "Come with me for a little bit, hmm? I might need you. For 'special' reasons." Chips took a hard 'GULP!' and did what she said. Even though she didn't have the pistol in her hands anymore, something inside his gut and inner conscience was warning him to do what she said or he'd be on the wrong side of his own pistol. He clearly could tell that she was upset, but that wasn't compared to how she was going to react when she was about to find out what Adrian had done.

The dealing table was covered with scattered playing cards. And the money, betting chips, and valuable items were centered in the middle of the table. And one of those items that were placed in the center of the betting table, was Joan's precious heart shaped gold locket that she got from Elder Kettle on her and her sister's birthday. It was only a few weeks before it was time for the girls to leave, and that locket was the one of the only things that had pictures of both her mortal family and her immortal family. It had fancy engravings on both the front and the back. The front had her first name engraved in calligraphic writing and on the back was an engraved picture of a Poinsettia, which is her favorite flower. And even though it was old, it was well kept. No wear and scratches on it whatsoever. She took care of it like it was her own heart that was hanging around her neck. Though she mostly kept it in a bag or pocket to not attract unnecessary attention, since it was a very impressive looking piece of jewelry. And now seeing it on one of the Devil's Casino betting tables for everyone to see,....well it was like Hell itself was staring at her inner heart like it was some prize to be won over! And by gambling means no less! The dealer, was a skeleton racing horse named Phear Lap said, "Better luck next time, buddy. This just ain't your game." Joan looked over and saw that a very distressed looking Adrian. He was holding his head and groaning very deeply. It wasn't till she walked over to him and calmly(?) said his name. "Adrian? What did you do?" He suddenly looked up towards her and tried to explain that he was just playing cards with only a few poker chips and then somehow, it escalated to the point where there was no return. He asked her to please forgive him and to lend him some money so that he can get it all back. But she simply turned around and walked towards Chips and asked, "Sir, I know I took your gun without your permission, and I am deeply sorry for that. But I am asking for your permission now. Please give me the gun so that I can shoot this idiot's arms and hands so that he won't ever do something this stupid again?" Chips didn't really know how to react to this request. The fact that she said something so serious and malicious with a calm but happy(?) expression on her face, just made him even more nervous. He looked over to Phear with a look that said, "Help me! Do something! Or else this can get out of hand!"

He took the hint, and said, "O-kay, hold your horses there miss. How about we settle this with a different game? If you win, you get everything you see here on the table. But if I win, this here loot will belong to the casino. Do we have an agreement?" Joan gave him a glare so deadly that Phear honestly thought that he was going to drop dead where he stood. But she breathed a heavy sigh and replied, "Alright, I'll play your game. But if you ever so much as to back out of our agreement even the slightest bit, and if there is even a hint of cheating during this game. ......You sir, and this whole bloody casino, shall burn in flames so hot that not even the Devil himself can withstand how agonizing and torturous it will be! Do you understand sir?" He nervously nodded in agreement. "What game are we playing?" He nervously pointed towards the table that had numerous letters and numbers printed on top. And right in the middle of the table was a pair of dice. "So we're playing that, huh? How cliche." Joan thought this, but didn't say it out loud. She didn't want to put herself in a situation worse than this. 

As they started the game, Joan was unaware of the dangers lurking around the corner. Literally. There was an imp with a club, or in more precise description, a clover shaped, tail peeking around the corner from across the room. He stared at her closely and grew suspicious. He decided to report it to the 'Boss' and let him know that she could possibly be an enemy in their territory. Once he did this, his 'Boss' replied, "Hmmm....how interesting. Never had this happen before. Let's make this situation even more interesting. Make sure you tell the bouncers this. And to make sure my theory is right, when the spell on those pair of dice take effect, and she screws up, make sure you take that locket and bring it to me. After that, the bouncers will step in and chase them out. But make sure that our 'guests' take the money. I have a good hunch that they'll be back." And with a meniacle smirk on his face he let out an evil laugh and sent the imp to do his bidding. The wheels were in motion, everything went according to plan. And when the dice's spell took effect, it was going to land on a Snake Eyes. But before it could, Joan yelled out in frustration, and unintentionally used her cracked British voice, "Bloody Hell!!!!" Then she took the side of her fist and hit the table so hard that there was a slight dent in it. And without her knowing it, releasing her angelic powers in a wave that cancelled out all of the possible cheating spells that the Devil had casted on the games, including the dice. The dice landed on a different number and she won. But just like how the Devil had planned, everything went haywire. The imp jumped on the table and snatched the locket. And before Joan could catch the imp, the bouncers were already making their way towards them. They managed to get out with the money and other valuables, but not with her locket. She was very close to crying again, but she held in her tears and said to herself, "I'll get it next time! I'll just use the other powers that I have to sneak in there and take it back! Even if I have to anihilate that imp that took it, to get it!" While she was methodically planning her break in, Adrian tried his best to apologise. But so far his words weren't taking effect. "Well at least we have enough money to have a good time with your mom and find a pleasant stay at the hotel where they're holding the convention!" This was true, and that fact alone was the only forgiving grace that Adrian was going to get out of her. She can hold a grudge for a while and sometimes that, in itself, was going to be a problem. At least for him. But he knew that she would forgive him, eventually. And that she was already planning on something to get her locket back. For as long as he's known her, she was never the one to give up a fight. Especially if it involved with evil and dark creatures, like the Devil. Adrian sighed and grabbed Joan by the hand and told her that everything is going to be okay and that they'll get the locket back for sure. Joan WAS angry at him for getting her in this situation, but she couldn't help but be comforted by that big brother-like personality of his. She smiled and said, "Yeah we'll get it back, but first let's find our destination, then plan on how we get the locket back. Ok?" He nodded in agreement and off they went with holding each other's hands and holding the sacks of cash in the other hand and with confidence in their hearts, they set off to find the convention.

To be continued...


	7. A Deal Made and a Piece of Freedom Lost (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn more about Joan and this "convention" of sorts. She and Adrian have a good time until....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to update slowly on this one. I'll update tomorrow when I can.

As Joan pinpointed where their destination was, she realized that their belongings were gone! She was about to ask Adrian where their bags were, especially the big brown one. But before she could he spoke out, "And before you ask me where our luggage is, it's right behind us." Joan turned around and right before her eyes their luggage was levitating a few inches from the ground. And what was making this happen, was what appeared at first glance, three little glowing white orbs. "Really Adrian? You're making the caretakers carry our luggage?" Joan gave him a look that said, "Seriously?" 

These 'orbs' were actually light fairies that Joan had picked up and adopted from her time that she spent in the fantasy realm for business purposes. (One of her 'adventures' from eight years ago.) The three fairies were triplets, a rarity to have in the realm of Fairy, especially if they were from the Light elemental faction. Joan and Adrian was given special permission, from the King and Queen of the Fairy realm, to have them, (the triplets), as assistants/family members of the famous hybrid family of Heaven. The triplets names were Lillian, Lorelei, and Lucille. Lillian was the oldest of the three of them. She has long, silky, and wavy hair that she would prefer to wear loose. And always prefers the most elegant and fancy things. That also includes her wardrobe. Lorelei was the middle child. She has semi-long, soft, and curly hair that she prefers to be in a ponytail than any other hairstyle. She's very athletic and old fashioned; and prefers things that are vintage or very antique-like. This also includes her wardrobe. Lucille is the youngest of the trio. And she, out of the two of her sisters has the shortest and straightest hair, and prefers to have her hair in cute pigtails. She also prefers things that have significant meaning in her and other's lives. Doesn't matter whether if it's shiny, fancy, or old. As long as it has meaning, she'll be interested. They were given the important task, by Joan and Adrian, of being the caretakers of the 'Void'. Or in other words, beings that takes care of and organizes the things that come into the 'Void'. On the authoritarian scale of one to ten, one being the top dog and ten being the bottom. Joan would be a 4, Adrian would be a 6, and the triplets would be a 7. 

Even though that the triplets were technically underneath the both of them, status wise, didn't mean that Adrian had the authority to order them around like they're servants. Joan was about to say this, but before she could, Adrian cut her off once more and said that he politely asked them to keep their stuff safe while he and Joan were in the casino and to make sure that no one saw their luggage unattended. The triplets supported him in his decision to give them the important job of looking after their stuff until they left the casino. So, all in all, the girls didn't mind doing at least this much. The triplets reassured Joan that they willingly did this for both her sake and Adrian's and that they were not forced in any way. Thanks to that witness testimony, Adrian was spared from Joan's nagging wrath, for now. 

Joan let out a heavy sigh, and held her head as if she was having a headache. Then continued towards finding the convention before the day was over. After about an hour or so, they reached to a barren dead end alleyway, or so it seemed. Joan and crew went all the way in the alleyway, and as soon as they did, Joan reached out and gently touched the brick wall, and quietly but subtlety chanted a spell that was in an ancient language that could only be described as Holy. Then, as she was chanting her spell, a Holy magic circle appeared from her hand and was projected onto the wall and started to glow. And as soon as she was done, the bricks slowly started to disappear, and revealed another part of Inkwell Isle, that not even the residents themselves know exists. The streets were filled with food and crafts vendors and along side them, were shops that sold various things that came from multiple dimensions and could only be bought and sold there. The streets were lively with angels, nephilims, and any other creature that serves under God. She even saw a few familiar faces along the way, and wished them well during their time at the convention.

After a few minutes of walking down the street, they finally found the hotel where the convention was being held. It was an impressive looking hotel. Fancy and imaculate to the T, and the service was fantastic! They made their way to the front desk in the lobby, and asked if a Nephlim named Lynne Blanca Star was there. And the manager replied, "Why, yes. Are you by any chance her daughter, Joan?" Joan smiled and nodded her head vigorously in agreement. She then showed the invitation to the manager to confirm his guess. He smiled and said, "Alright then, miss Joan, please follow this bellhop boy to show you to her room. She's been eagerly awaiting for you." She couldn't believe it! She was going to finally meet her mother after all these years and actually spend quality time with her!

When they finally reached the room, Joan gave the bellhop a decent sized tip and sent him away. As she was knocking on the door, she tried to keep her cool until she got in. And before they entered the room, Joan made sure that Adrian kept his mouth shut about what happened today and to make sure that the money that they won was kept in the 'Void'. And if her mother asks where they got the money, "Just tell her that we won the lottery. It'll work, I know it will. Because it happens to you a lot!" Adrian couldn't argue with her on that logic, especially if it was true. Then finally a gentle, loving, caring, but powerful voice spoke up. "Come in! The door is unlocked!" Joan was excited but nervous at the same time. Which was understandable since she hasn't been able to see her in over a few thousand years. As they opened the door and walked slowly in, they saw a beautifully pale, milky white skinned woman with rosy cheeks. She had beautiful and flowing bright blonde hair and had a gorgeous looking flower crown dawned on her head. She was also wearing a beautiful, silky, and flowing pure white dress, and had pretty, but cute, white comfy looking flats on her feet. She was peacefully and calmly reading one of her favorite books. When Joan spoke up, her mother's face shot up with surprise, and a beautiful and wonderful smile spread across her face and her eyes twinkled with longing to love her daughter in her arms. 

Her mother quickly got up from her chair, and ran right into Joan's arms. The both of them hugged each other so tight that not even an andaconda can't match or even survive from their grip. Joan breathed deeply in her mother's scent, she smelled of roses, gardenias, lillies, and lavender. She desperately missed her mother's scent. It was so comforting and relaxing, that one sniff from her mother just melted all of Joan's problems and worries away. "So what are we going to do today?" Her mother eagerly asked. Joan smiled and said, "Anything you want to do, as long as I'm with you, I'm fine." Her mother giggled and said, "Oh you! Stop it! Both you and your sister definitely inherited your father's silver tongue and his loving nature and personality." She wasn't wrong about that. Her father loved her mother with a burning passion. Nothing could separate those two from loving each other. Not even death himself could separate them. It was thanks to her parents incredible love for each other that she and her sister were able to be born. And she was forever grateful that she was born from her. This loving and wonderful woman loved Joan and her family so much that her mother would move or possibly destroy an entire mountain for them. She couldn't ask for a better mom. Joan asked if her sister came by yet to spend time with her. Her mother told her that Joan had just missed her. She said that Josephine left the Isle early this morning, but said that she would come back soon. 

Joan rolled her eyes, and replied, "That's Josephine for you. Always on the move." Switching the subject Joan encouraged her mom to immediately get started on doing stuff together, and that they did. All throughout the day Joan, her mom, and the crew spent the entire day playing, eating, laughing and having a good time. But time is a fickle thing, the more fun you have, the more time seems to pass. As the convention drew to a close everyone packed up their things and started towards Heaven and their home realms. Joan sadly gave her mother a hug and kiss, then waved good bye as she saw her mother ascend the Heavenly staircase. As they went back to the hotel, they were expecting to head towards their rooms and stay there until it was time to leave the Isle, or at least steal back the locket and then leave Inkwell. But fate has a funny way of doing things. When they arrived at the entrance of the hotel, there was two people(?) standing out front, waiting for them. As they got closer, Joan recognized the uniform that one of them were wearing. She then grew concerned and wary of her surroundings. As they finally approached them, she noticed that their luggage was right beside them. Joan was about to ask how they managed to get their stuff from their room without the key card. But before she could, the female stranger spoke. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but I don't really have much of a choice." This stranger wore a casino bouncer uniform, and she knew who the uniform represented. The female stranger also had a fancy but fearsome looking French styled sword on her waist belt. And at first she looked like an normal African American human woman, but then she noticed all the stitches and battle scars all over her body. Oh, and did I mention that her right arm was cut off and replaced by a functional robotic-like fake arm? She looked like Sally from the movie, 'The Nightmare Before Christmas,' except more fearsome looking. And standing right next to her was a semi-tall humanoid cigar man with flashy gangster-like clothes on. She asked them who they were and what business that they had with them. The woman sighed and introduced themselves. "Hello, my name is Victoria Doll and this is my colleague, Mr. Wheezy."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma'am." The cigar man, Mr. Wheezy, spoke in an accent that she swore she heard before but couldn't remember where she heard it from. "And for the other thing you asked, well, here. This will do the talking for me." Victoria handed her a yellowed and worn out looking note that emitted a hideous aura. She hesitated at first, but then grabbed the note, unfolded it, and read the words that were in red ink(?). It said, "If you ever want to see your beloved locket again, then come back to the Devil's Casino and meet me in my office. I'm sure we have a lot to talk about."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh,.what do you think the Devil wants with Joan and Adrian? Stay tuned to find out~
> 
> Heaven signing out! PEACE!!!


	8. A Deal Made and a piece of Freedom Lost (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joan faces the Devil 😈 himself to work out a deal. How will it go? Will Joan need new feathers and the Devil another few months to heal a broken horn,......again? We'll just have to see!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be updating this till chapter thirteen part four. Then it's gonna be awhile till I come up with something. LOLOL 🤣
> 
> Anyways! Enjoy!

As Joan read the note from start to finish, she stared at whose signature was signed at the bottom of the note. Her stomach curled and her expression on her face furrowed into that of what you would like to call it as a Scrooge face. She was furious and was about to erupt with anger. But she realized that the Devil wants her to be angry and throw a fit. It was the part of his job that he took pleasure in the most, besides torturing the fallen souls of Hell, and making his employees working for less than minimum wage. So instead of losing her control of her emotions, she breathed in and out calmly a few times. Then looked up towards the Devil's employees with a look of stern-like confidence, and said, "Take me to him now, and we'll see who lasts." As she said that, her eyes made a deadly glare at them and crumpled the note in her hands. As she did that, both Wheezy and Victoria felt a sudden chill go down their spines. 

"Uhhh... shall we go then?" Wheezy nervously asked. Joan begrudgingly agreed, grabbed her and Adrian's luggage, and started to walk very hastily down the road. "O-kay~.... I think we better get moving or else she's going to leave us behind. And she probably won't care to look back since we're going to the same place that she's going to. Although what we plan to do is probably MUCH different and less destructive than what she's planning on doing. Especially to your boss." As Adrian made that valid point, both Wheezy and Victoria looked at each other with expressions of worry and horror. As they quickly followed Joan, as best as they could at least, they noticed the triplets following very close to Adrian and wondered what they were. They couldn't get a good look at them, since from afar, they look like glowing orbs with no definitive features. They tried to ask Adrian, or at least try to get a closer look, what they were. But to no avail. Adrian was to focused on trying to catch up to Joan and the triplets weren't taking a chance on getting closer to Wheezy or Victoria. 

They eventually caught up to her, only after when they arrived at the front of the boss's office. And Joan, despite being furiously mad to the point where it sent all sorts of negative vibes throughout the casino, calmly and composedly reached for the door. But before she opened the door, a low but deep booming voice spoke out. "Come in, my dear. We have much to discuss." Joan could already tell that he was enjoying every bit of this. Holding her precious locket hostage and knowing that it would make her hopping mad if he did anything to it. But luckily for her and unfortunately for him, that her locket is protected by a powerful Holy seal that only she and no one else can open it. So even if he did try to, he would only be either setting himself on fire with Heaven's Holy flames or be electrocuted with Heaven's Holy lightning. So she was pretty confident that he didn't know exactly WHO she is. 

Joan stepped in the intimidating room. It had a dark and evil vibe. Like something out of a medieval torture chamber/dungeon, but in a sophisticated and clean office room. And it didn't help at all with the room being dark and all. "I think he's trying to creep me out." Was what Joan thought to herself. Then she saw him, behind his desk, and sitting in his extravagant chair. He was hunched over with his elbows on the surface of his desk with his hands entwined together and holding them in front of his face. It was the position of where your boss looks like he's about to fire you from your job. But, in Joan's position, it was the exact opposite. "So glad that you could make it, Miss...Joan was it? Or should I call you Miss Angel?" Seeing as how he was questioning (?) on who she was, he was just presuming that she was just an ordinary angel and hasn't dared open the locket. "He must have noticed the Holy protection seal on the necklace." Joan thought to herself. And since angels are notorious for guarding or sealing away stuff that is extremely important, he thinks that Joan is just another run-of-the-mill angel that just happened to stumble into his territory. Although from the look in his eyes and the tone in his voice, he sounds like he knows a lot more than he's leading on. 

Joan noticed the chair in front of his desk. Assuming that he wants her to sit down, she did what any other lady would do in a situation where she's being blackmailed. She picked up the heavy and cushioned seat, which in itself was an amazing feat for an ordinary human to do, and threw it right at him. Unfortunately for Joan, he moved out of the way before the chair had a chance to hit him. The chair ended up making hard contact against the wall behind him, and breaking it, the chair, in several pieces. The Devil looked unamused and said, "Well, so much for talking like professionals. O-kay...so let's get down to business. Here's the thing, I know you used some sort of magic to cancel out my magic that was on my casino games. The magic that I put on there was so that gamblers don't get so lucky and take whatever money that I have. For free that is. But since you cancelled out that magic, the customers have been getting TOO lucky. And thanks to that, I'm losing money, and fast. I tried for the past few hours to recast the same spells on the games, but for some reason your magic is still hanging around and cancelling out my magic. Now, for the first time in about, let's say, a few hundred years? I had to temporarily close my casino for 'maintenance'. Which in itself is costing me and my employees money and time. Which I should mention, is very precious down here. So here's the deal. You come work for me and my casino and I'll return your precious locket. But I'll only return your locket under these conditions while you work for me.  
1\. You take your magic off of my games.   
2\. You work for me till you pay off your debt.   
And 3. You follow my every order to the T till you fulfill the last two conditions. The first condition shouldn't be too hard to do. But the second condition is going to be a little more, challenging. And the third condition is probably no different from the second. Depends on how you listen to me and how good a job you do." 

Joan was dead quiet. The Devil didn't know what to make of her response since she was wearing her thick glasses and wasn't making any notable expressions. But that wasn't going to last for long. Joan clenched her fists and asked why she would have to work for him just to pay for a debt that doesn't exist. But the Devil said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, my dear. Not only did you win the bet using your magic but you also are responsible for making me lose so much money. So your total amount of your debt is about...... 1,333,000,000 dollars. So until you pay off that debt of yours, you won't be seeing this precious locket of yours any time soon." Joan started to lowly growl under her breath. "Unless you have some of that money from the game, then you better cough it up now." The Devil ordered. Joan knew that she and Adrian spent all the money on having a good time with her mother so she was left with only one choice. And she knew that he knows it as well. That's what ticked her off the most. And what he was about to say next would send her over the edge. "So would you prefer to work for me? Or hand over your friend's soul there?" As he said this, he pointed his sharp-clawed finger towards Adrian. In that moment, her patience and calm had run out, and she snapped.

Her wings flew open with crystalized coating over her soft feathers. Making them razor sharp and titanium hard. Her nails grew to look like claws. And even though she had thick glasses on, the Devil could clearly see her eyes change. The sclera turned pitch black, the iris and the pupil turned into the shape of that of a cat-like beast. But only the iris radiated a bright icy blue glowing light, while the cat like pupil remained black, like the sclera. Finally, her mouth opened wide to reveal that her top and bottom canines were growing to that of a beasts. She let out a low but loud growl and said in a menacing voice, "If you touch at least one hair on his head, I shall have yours on a silver platter!" The Devil didn't know what to think of her sudden appearance change. But what he did know, was that as soon as he looked into her heart, he saw what looked like a normal human soul. But it looked different. Her soul glowed radiant bright multi-colored lights. Those lights didn't just stay in one place, they swirled and danced around the pure white glowing orb that was the center of her soul. As he stared at the center of her soul, it glowed brighter and brighter until his eyes started to burn from the intense light and heat from her soul. "Okay, okay, okay! You've made your point! So, do we have a deal?" As he said that, she started to calm herself down, but didn't fully de-transform herself. She had the feeling that he had more to say about their deal. Turns out, she was right. He said that he didn't expect her to single handedly fulfill the deal that was meant for two people. He also wanted Adrian, who started all of this, to also work for him to pay off the debt that they now share. 

Joan was about to reach over the desk to wring his furry neck, but he said that if she tried to harm him, her debt count would only increase. Joan stopped midway from grabbing his neck and clicked her tongue in a viscous manner. She pulled back her hand and hissed under her breath. The Devil pulled out two blank contract papers and said with a devious smirk on his face, "Now, do we have a deal?" She looked at Adrian with a face that said, "I'm sorry, I don't have a choice." And Adrian returned a look to her that said, "It's okay. I'm the one who got us in this mess to begin with. Don't worry about me, I'll live. I'm not that weak, and you know that." So together they signed the contracts, and as soon as they got done, with a snap of the Devil's fingers, the contracts poofed in a puff of smoke. 

The Devil ordered the imps to call over the manager to show the new employees where they'll be staying and what they'll be doing. A few moments later, a humanoid man with a dice for a head came into the office. He had pencil-styled mustache and wore a fancy purple two piece tuxedo suit with a purple bow tie. His shoes were also fancy and purple. Sleek and shiny at that too. He asked his boss what he wanted with him. His voice sounded southern but in a very refined manner. Almost to the point of where he sounded like he was part of a gang, but more civilized. "You want me to show the newbies around? Fine, but they better keep up. I'm not in the mood for slowpokes and amateurs. That's the last thing that this casino needs." He turned towards Joan and Adrian. "I'm Mr. King Dice, pleasure to meet you and like I said before, try to keep up." If she wasn't boiling mad over her new but temporary boss, she would have slapped Dice's head so hard it would be spinning around and around for over an hour. Which wouldn't be hard since, like Cuphead and Mugman, he had no neck. The Devil mockingly wished them luck as they walked out of the office and waved goodbye. But after they left, he kept pondering how an angel, little alone a normal human being, could have such a soul. As he thought this, he made a devious smile on his face and thought out loud, "This could get interesting~. Mwa, ha, ha, ha~!"

To be continued...  
Give it up for the guest star appearance of Victoria Doll y'all!!!!👏

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So~? What'd you think? Thoughts, comments, opinions, and Kudos are highly appreciated!
> 
> See y'all soon!

**Author's Note:**

> How'd you like it? Good? Bad? Send me your thoughts and maybe a few kudos.
> 
> I just can't wait till I get to the part where Cuphead acts like a goofball around Joan and Dice is a dreamheart gentleman to his destined one~
> 
> *Swoons*
> 
> LOLOL! I hope you like my works and my fellow author who I help with her works, ShardsDreamsFantasy, and her works as well.
> 
> You can find her on my page and vice versa on hers. 
> 
> Thank you you all! You're lovely! You're beautiful!!!
> 
> This is HeavenSent signing out!!! Till next time!!!😉
> 
> PEACE!!!✌️😘


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